National identity and Authority

The Supreme Leader’s strong emphasis on various statements on the preservation and strengthening of national identity indicates the importance of discussing national identity in his view: “What I feel today as a task for the young community of the country is that the youth must defend the capital of the national and collective identity of the country, with all their being and effort” (Statements, 3 November 2001).

 

He places a great deal of importance on national identity that he advises university professors that in addition to strengthening faith in God, faith in national identity should also be strengthened in youth and that national prejudices and adherence to human personality and identity are necessary (Statements, 12 May 2003).

 

The reasons for the very important issue of national identity in the view of Ayatollah Khamenei, include:

1. National identity is the basis of any progress.
2. National identity has a defensive value
3. Identity crisis: It is the cause of the humiliation and defeat of nations.
4. The arrogant powers seeks to create an identity crisis.

 

Normative Foundation of National Identity

 

By analyzing the statements of Ayatollah Khamenei can be found in his view, norms are the most fundamental and the most important element of national identity. The two main sources in this regard are:

 

1. Culture
2. Religious values

 

Indicators of National Identity

 

In defining the concept of national identity, the Supreme Leader has mentioned other elements in addition to culture. In sum, they believe that the national identity of each nation, a collective identity, which consists of a collection of culture, beliefs and religion, independence, dignity, government, history, desires, wishes and aspirations of the constitution and basic and fundamental ideals and behaviours of that nation (Statements, 9 November 1999, 3 November 1999, 27 September 2000, 30 April 2011). If we pay attention to the definitions he has given about culture, we see that he considers culture as a collection that includes the above elements; therefore, these elements that they express for national identity are not separate and out of culture and in other words, in defining national identity, he refers to cultural elements that play a greater role in creating a national identity or they mention the indicators of national identity that the identity of a nation is more familiar with these indicators:

 

“In fact, it is culture that determines the identity and spiritual structure of a nation. Of course, this culture has extensional indicators. Extensional indicators of it are beliefs, morals, customs, social behaviours, individual behaviours, national morals and characteristics; these indicators are spiritual identities. From these indicators, we can discover and recognize what this nation’s identity is, what is its spiritual structure, what is the character of this nation” (13 June 2011).

 

In the view of the Supreme Leader, the most important characteristics of national identity (the elements with which a nation is most closely associated) can be listed as follows:

 

First: History and Historical Heritage

 

“The culture of a nation is like diamond particles that are formed and strengthened throughout history” (Statements, 2 November 1994).

 

Second: Science and Knowledge

 

“Indeed, a country that is deprived of science cannot expect dignity, independence and identity and personality, security and prosperity (Statements, 3 September 2007).

 

Third: National Characteristic

 

In the Supreme Leader’s view, each nation may be influenced by various factors, but they emphasize that these are not inherent and permanent and can be changed (Statements, 10 December 1996 and 2 February 2010). Sometimes even a part of this national characteristic or culture originates from climate, weather, geographical location or political geography” (13 June 2011).

 

Fifth: National Self-Confidence

 

He considers national dignity and national self-confidence as among the important indicators of a nation’s progress (Statements, July 22, 2012). Analyzing the qualitative content of the Supreme Leader’s statements, we found that in his view, the three elements of culture, national religion and dignity are the most important elements and components of national identity and have a special place. In his view, a nation is known more than anything else by these three elements or builds its own national identity. A quantitative analysis of his statements on the issue of national identity also reflects this importance. The sum of the statements that coded on the subject of national identity, the volume of statements related to these three elements is significantly higher than that of other elements.

 

National Identity Requirements

 

On the thought of the Supreme Leader, a desirable national identity leads to the creation of national dignity. In his view, national dignity is when a nation looks at its capital and its resources, its capital, its history and its historical heritage, its language and alphabet, its honour and greatness, and its human and intellectual existence, feels honoured and proud. The opposite of the feeling of dignity is the feeling of inferiority, humiliation, in which the nation looks down on its possessions with contempt, belittles them and feels that it has nothing of itself. The colonialists, in order to capture the nations, humiliated their religion, culture, and history, and made them pessimistic about their identity (12 May 2009). The Supreme Leader has explained the examples and dimensions of national dignity in various fields, which can be seen in the chart below:

 

 

 

The system should rely on its nation and people

 

The country will reach the power of self-sufficiency

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cross the boundaries of science with the software movement and science production

 

The system should have the independence of the vote and the powers that be cannot impose their will on it.

 

The nation to adhere to their traditions and respect for them, not imitate foreign and aggressive cultures

 

Every human being should be respected in society

 

Figure 3: Dimensions of National Dignity

 

On the thought of the Supreme Leader, in order for a nation to achieve national authority and great spiritual and worldly ideals, it is necessary to create features in its national identity, some of which are: faith, sense of responsibility, courage, self-confidence, perseverance and effort (Statements, 1 November 2000). In a word, this intervention can be shown in Figure 4 as the intellectual system of the Supreme Leader in the discussion of introducing a constructive and growing identity.

 

Conclusion

 

The Supreme Leader recognizes different national and ethnic identities and, of course, believes that in the Islamic view, there is no difference between different races. Therefore, nationalism is approved by Islam, and it is sacred, as long as it is an incentive for unity and empathy and does not lead to the negation of others. But if it is presented as a school and ideology based on negative tendencies, such as racism, in order to strengthen the misplaced prejudices and negate others, it is not approved by Islam. In addition to their national and sectarian identities, he considers all Muslims to have a larger and transnational identity in the name of the Islamic ummah, which is based on the common ideals and goals of the Islamic world. Other identities are also acceptable to the extent that they do not conflict with this Islamic identity.

 

He considers culture and, more precisely, religion and beliefs, to be the most important and original element and pillar of national identity. On the thought of the Supreme Leader, the culture of any nation shapes the identity of that nation, but it is a desirable and valuable identity that is based on religious and Islamic culture and piety. So that spiritual and moral ideals make an identity for human beings. He considers other elements such as geography, language, history, government, etc. to be effective in the foundations of the creation of a nation, but he does not consider them to have an inherent, fundamental and permanent role. The Supreme Leader considers political self-forgetfulness or forgetting national identity to be the cause of the nation’s humiliation and misery. Therefore, on the thought of leadership, national identity is desirable and favoured, which leads to the creation of national dignity.

 

In the view of the Supreme Leader, the building of the world is an arrogant building, and arrogance tries to dominate the nations by denying and humiliating the identity of nations and creating and strengthening ethnic and sectarian differences. The only way to cure these disruptions to the religion of Islam and the idea that strengthening nationalism and sense of nationality can be considered against the power of the theocratic was wrong and he believes that nationalism is not only useful for fighting arrogance, but also helps it survive, so they emphasize that “Muslim nations must consider it their greatest duty today to return to Islam and its rule.” This is the dearest, most immediate, greatest, and most effective goal that Muslim nations can pursue today; there is no cure other than this” (Statements, 13 February 1991)

Archive of Ayatollah Khamenei